Warm Zucchini-Mushroom Salad with Almonds and Sunflower Seeds

A warm salad can both accommodate our low-carb diet and satisfy our hearty side dish craving in a way that a cold salad never can. This salad starts with a cold base of chopped romaine lettuce and is topped with a warm saute of onions, zucchini, mushrooms, slivered almonds and sunflower seeds. The combination of salad and saute, cold and warm, fresh and hearty is simply sensational.

It is easy to prepare the parts of this warm salad in advance. Just make sure to assemble right before serving to keep the salad greens crisp and fresh.

Best of all, you can separate some of the warm saute separate and save it for another meal. It will refrigerate well and can be served the next day over a bed of warm rice or quinoa.

INGREDIENTS

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, diced (see onion tip below)

1 box of mushrooms, cleaned, sliced and patted dry

1-2 zucchini, scrubbed, diced small and patted dry

a sprinkle of slivered almonds

a sprinkle of shelled sunflower seeds

salt and pepper to taste
scant drizzle of balsamic or wine vinegar

1 cup romaine lettuce, soaked, rinsed and chopped

DIRECTIONS

Clean and chop romaine lettuce. Place on plate or in salad bowl.

Lightly saute onion in olive oil until just starting to brown. Add mushrooms and zucchini to saute pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Scantly drizzle balsamic vinegar over saute and add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to saute pan.

Saute vegetable for a few minutes, just until soft and fragrant. Add a light sprinkle of almonds and sunflower seeds. Toss until just coated, for 1-2 minutes more.

Spoon vegetable saute over the romaine lettuce. Enjoy!

ONION TIP

Lightly pierce and microwave onion for 30 seconds before chopping to avoid tears.The microwave heat denatures the onion enzymes that cause the release of sulphuric gas, which are the culprit for making us cry when cutting onions.